The central objective of this course is to develop an understanding of human behaviour in organizations with a view toward effective management of such behaviour. This course provides an introduction to organizational behaviour (OB)—how individuals, groups, and structures
shape and are shaped by organizational life. It covers core OB concepts, including personality, perception, motivation, group dynamics, leadership, power, conflict, and organizational change.

A distinguishing feature of this course is the addition of a critical perspective. Alongside learning core concepts from the textbook, students are invited to examine how organizational processes can produce and reproduce inequalities, and how we can proactively identify and address them to improve organizational culture and the
experiences of people within it. The course asks not only how organizations function, but also who benefits, who is marginalized, how structures of power are built into everyday organizational life, and how we can help make it better.

In this class, we study key contemporary issues related to work and labour, focusing on precarity and resistance from the perspective of Canadian society and beyond while considering global viewpoints. The course comprises four main parts. First, we will set the stage to critically engage with emerging issues of precarious work. We will consider the significance of studying labour and examine the rapidly changing world of work. The second part builds the theoretical foundation of precarity and precarious work. How do we define, conceptualize, and analyze precarious work? Who qualifies as a precarious worker? What defines someone as a precarious worker? In the next part, we will examine the specific fields of precarious work, particularly those in conjunction with migration, gender, citizenship, the blurred boundaries of work, and the digitalization or platformization of labour. These are just a few examples of the numerous factors shaping workers’ complex experiences of precarity. However, exploring these topics will allow students to engage in discussions about precarious work by applying the theoretical lens they have gained from previous sections. Lastly, part four will examine various forms of resistance and alternatives that precarious workers engage in and have an opportunity to rethink our topic of work itself. What might resistance and solidarity-building among precarious workers look like? How can we envision the future of work and the work we are (or will be) doing itself? By combining the theoretical and empirical knowledge from the course, students will have opportunities to reflect on their own work experiences or labour issues related to precarious work in their final projects. Students are encouraged to bring their own experiences, understanding, and questions of historical or ongoing social issues to class. However, this should be done through serious engagement with the readings. Both the readings and the lectures will ground the students’ common knowledge and become the basis of class discussions.